Simple Syllable Analysis

Description

Simple Syllable Analysis improves reading skills

Poor readers, be they children or adults, have often arrested their reading level at the stage where longer words need to be decoded. They balk at the length of a word. They often scan across all the letters making wild guesses. However, those with weaker vocabularies often fail with this method.

Reading beyond the Primary level

When children enter secondary education the reading difficulty of subject text books increases. Unfortunately, this is often the stage at which some individuals fall behind in their reading and spelling skills.

A useful way of addressing their fear of longer words is to help them to recognise different syllable types. Luckily, at the simplest level, there are just six types of syllables to become familiar with. Recognition of those different syllable types will help an individual decode  multi-syllable words more easily. They begin to understand that long complicated words are simply strings of  connected syllables. Recognising the patterns of different syllables makes the decoding of such words less daunting.

Resource to improve the decoding of multi-syllable words

Syllable Analysis aims to teach individuals to use their eyes to seek out those regular patterns in words. The six types of syllables are:

1. open syllables
2. closed syllables
3. final consonant ‘le’ (dle, ble, cle etc )syllables
4. vowel ‘r’ combination (ar, or. er, and ur) syllables
5. vowel consonant ‘e’ (ate, ide and obe) syllables
6. digraph syllables (ee, ea, ai.) etc.

This  workbook, by Valerie Hammond, aims to teach individuals to use their eyes to seek out those regular patterns in words. It is a structured and cumulative programme of work which introduces one syllable type at a time. A good deal of reading practice is provided before introducing the next syllable type. Each syllable section is followed by speed reading exercises to improve the reading fluency of that syllable type.

Transferring knowledge to spelling

Knowledge gained by analysing different syllable patterns for reading can clearly impact on spelling. Once those syllable types become familiar visually, individuals can be encouraged to recall them aurally, therefore, hearing and analysing the syllables  within a longer word  can help and individual to spell them. Dictations at the end of each section are provided as a measure of a learner’s competency in transferring their knowledge of syllables to their spelling,

This workbook contains a good deal of over learning photocopiable worksheets and provides a useful resource for small group, or individual intervention in school for weaker readers who are struggling to move their reading to a higher level.